Tuesday, April 12, 2011

In all our wanderings on and around our place, Jo and I have found only one specimen of this beautiful wildflower. It's growing near the bluff edge below our house, in area I'd call rough, rocky, not very fertile and "disturbed". (It was scraped off with a bulldozer not too long before we bought this place.) Most of the other growth in that area, I'd classify as brush and brambles.

(Note: Jo deserves triple credit for this photo, especially for persistence and determination. Shooting Star stands about a foot tall on a slender stem with flowers and buds dangling loosely. Even the slightest breeze causes the entire plant to sway.)

Your wife took a great photo. It's nice you have this in the wild. I planted a specimen in a shady, moist area and it's growing good. But, I have never seen one in the wild in this area but it's supposed to grow.